Anyone who tries to tell you that being a black belt means that you're an awesome fighter smoking something. And anyone who says that only good sparrers "deserve a black belt" are probably asshats to begin with...

I know for a fact that about 10%-15% of the black belts in a given school actually spar in a tournament, so if you're a 1st Dan or above but feel that the local teenagers or beginners are running you to the ground in sparring, you are NOT alone.

It's a part of TKD, and certainly one of the more well-known activities for those outside of it, but it is not the heart of it and will vary from different schools.

I think because of the nature of the rules in WTF Olympic sparring, I'm convinced that it has a lot more to do with physical composition and physical endurance than devotion and focus in the art. I can name a few people in my dojang who are very talented in demostration in their form and technique, but will never be a competitive sparrer because of their physical attributes. That isn't a reason to NOT spar at all, but probably a reason to not do it competitively for those of us who are concerned about injuries against those who specialize in sparring to win.

i hate sparring for the fact that it draws attention from equally or even more important aspects of TKD. people think if you dont fight, you are not a good competitor. I dont hate it because im bad at it or i envy good fighters, because ill readily admit sparring is my weak point and i hold respect for good fighters. I just think most TKD enthusiasts are under the impression that sparring is the whole purpose of TKD.

Physical make up has a lot to do with how well you sparr, especially in tornaments. I had a 4 ft 10 black belt ask me what were some good techniques to use, in tornament sparring. It was just in general conversation, and I wasn't thinking about it seriously, so I showed her a couple of my favorite techniques. When she tried them out on me, they simply wouldn't work, because of the difference in height and physical make up.

Having said that, physical make up, might get you to a national championship (if you are very lucky, and still train reasonably hard). But the competitors at the wrld champs train extremely hard. The korean team starts training right after the world champs, and trains all the way though to the next one. I'm talking 4-8 hours a day. These people deserve a little respect dont you think?